Is this the best bargain under $50K? (Skoda Octavia Sportline 2024 Review)

The new Sportline liftback variant has arrived to bolster Skoda’s midsize Octavia lineup, which takes on Toyota Camry, Mazda 6 and Hyundai i30 in the value-laden mainstream sedan stakes.

While the 1.4L turbo front drive powertrain and chassis credentials look meek on paper, the Czech five-door offers a keen blend of equipment, execution and European driving flair that has made this generation a past Chasing Cars Car Of The Year winner in 2022.

While the Octavia is due for a facelift soon, the current Sportline’s keen $40,580 list price makes for a compellingly affordable family car, even for buyers convinced that they’ll need an SUV instead.

Deputy Editor Curt Dupriez takes a deep dive and discovers a fine all-rounder that punches well above its modest price point.

Time codes:
0:00 - Intro
0:13 - Pricing
0:47 - Mainstream acceptance
1:10 - Skoda’s traditional ethos
1:35 - What is Sportline?
2:15 - Specifications
2:57 - Current-gen Octavia
3:38 - Interior
4:04 - Cabin design
5:00 - Ergonomics
5:40 - Digital screens
6:30 - Downsides
7:30 - ‘Simply Clever’ details
7:47 - Row two
8:45 - Boot space
9:42 - On road
10:57 - Performance
11:55 - Sports suspension
12:40 - Dynamic character
13:12 - Ownership credentials
13:52 - Verdict
15:02- Facelift coming soon

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[froggy]

It’s not another fecking suv, so it’s got my vote!

[goran]

I’ve driven this car in Europe last year as a rental and it was fantastic! Plus Rolls-Royce style umbrella that is located in the drivers door was really cool!!!

[johnstanley]

We are 12 months into owning our Octavia Style wagon and we love it for all the reasons Curt mentioned. I record its fuel economy at every fill and we have averaged 6 litres per 100km. One awesome feature Curt forgot to mention is the matrix LED headlights - they work super well out here on country roads.

[nadeemshariff]

Love my ‘23 Octavia Style. The Sportline just steps things up a notch. Very underrated car.

[nicholasmatthews]

In regards to the boot space. Apart from the 110TSI Octavia liftback having a huge 600 litres space (and the wagon is 640 litres), it also has a decent spare tyre. Although Skoda literature says it has a space saving spare tyre, it is a very good sized spare tyre, but not full size. When I was looking at the 110TSI Style recently, which the Sportline is based on, the spare tyre was 205/60 R16 92V. The actual road going tyre is 225/45 R18. When looking at the Mazda 6 wagon recently the spare tyre is a temporary use only space saver spare tyre, T 125/70 R17 98M (which can only be used at the rear of the car, according to the Mazda 6 manual).
PS Regarding the Octavia's spare tyre, need to check it's manual to see if it can be used at the front.

[CraigStevenRandazzo]

Bought a second hand 2014 Octavia wagon think it’s called “Elegance”… 78k on the dial for a 10 year old car… 1 owner never owned a Skoda before I was after a Passat wagon but couldn’t find a low klm one within budget… I’m completely sold… love this car so much! When I trade for a new car I’m going Skoda for sure…

[adrianbetts]

Skoda make the best value for money European cars. I’ve bought a 2023 Fabia recently and it’s an absolute joy to drive. All the bells and whistles for less than $40K drive away.

[mjrmotorsports]

Just purchased the wagon, replaced a Kamiq for the wife daily, this is one of the best daily drive cars we have ever owned, if not the actual best. Ps, my weekend car is a stage 2+ MY21 Superb Sportline wagon, so the Octavia has a lot to live up to… and it does!
Great video

[bradhulkes]

I’m a new owner of this model in the wagon version., . Zero complaints so far. Love my Octavia.. have the tech pack and panoramic sunroof and no regrets. Kids love the sunroof, makes a huge difference in longer trips.

[absentiss]

We've got an Octavia Limited Edition Wagon and absolutely love it. Like a mini superb! Would recommend

[micko]

In Europe we have 190hp 2.0 TSI 4X4 and in facelift 204 hp. It is Evo4 engine, 100+ hp on Stage1 (Power mode - two maps).

[fred]

I've driven many VW products in recent years but decided to try a Skoda after experiencing very poor after sales service with VW. What a huge mistake. Took delivery with 3 faults and it took about 3 months and 5 visits to resolve. The car is a 2023 model and I've already had another 2 faults needing attention. To say that Skoda's after sales service is shocking is an understatement. I now understand why Skoda's market share is so low. Purchase a Skoda at your own peril. Great on a test drive, but a horror to own.

[coldstonecancrgang]

I can't agree the Octavia looks better than the Mazda 6. It's a little too round for my liking.

[rjbiker]

I remember when you could get a VRS for that price.

Originally the sportline was supposed to get the 140kw 2L turbo.

[Goatman-wlnk]

Great review and great as it's not a boring SUV!

[JJ-wiuw]

Are you sure about that 7.7 seconds time for 0-100 klm/hr. You sure you weren't driving on a slight decline or with a strong tailwind?
The 0-100km times that I have seen for this car elsewhere have been in the mid 8's or more.

[thetattedpharmacist]

I own a base model 2017 Octavia wagon. Great car but getting towards the end of its life (I’m not a huge fan of owning modern vehicles much past their warranty period, they’re simply not made to last beyond then and repair costs spiral). I am seriously considering trading the 2017 in for a newer Sportline in the blue!

[mdiciaccio]

Love driving my Octavia RS. Hate having the dealer / Skoda Australia treat me like dirt and not honour warranty obligations.

[danielr]

Not much coming from Tom lately... Is he gone?

[murko]

I live in country where every second person has this car. It is mixture of cheap and solid. The car uses cheap plastics in some places like door handles and buttons (they click like on cheap Chinese electronics). The display looks rather cheaper. The exterior looks OK, but something about it doesn't feel totally right, it looks cheap and expensive at the same time. I think they're using thin plates for the body. When you compare the car with smaller cars in the same price range, they weigh about the same, yet Octavia is bigger, that's weird. Check Mazda 3 or Honda Civic for instance, they are a bit smaller, but the build quality is solid and they are also somewhat cheaper. You can't say that about Octavia. So no, I don't think it's a great value car.